Nashville Predators: Projecting a Fully Healthy Defensive Core for 2023-24
The injuries have not gotten any better for the Nashville Predators, and in fact, they have gotten even worse. Nobody significant has returned, and they recently lost Matt Duchene for probably the rest of the season.
#Preds head coach John Hynes says Matt Duchene is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury
— Emma Lingan (@emma_lingan) March 27, 2023
At this point, a fully healthy lineup is a dream at best, and it might even make more sense to continue to sit the injured players. Even if the Predators get close or even completely to full health, playing them may not be worth it since they would be further risking injury for a team that will be a wildcard in the playoffs at best.
But it does not mean we cannot have more fun imagining what a healthy defense could have looked like after the trade deadline, as we did with the forward core. As crazy as it sounds, the defense still could have been one of the league’s best even after dealing Mattias Ekholm.
Let’s take a deep dive into what would have been three strong pairings on the back end.
Top Pairing: Roman Josi — Alexandre Carrier
Josi and Carrier started out as the Nashville Predators’ top pairing this year, but it did not make much sense with how the defense was constructed. At this moment, it is the way to go and most likely will be for 2023-24.
With how involved Josi is in facilitating the offense, Tyson Barrie would not be his ideal partner since he too is so heavily offensive-minded, and Dante Fabbro is solid but unfortunately not top-pairing caliber.
Josi and Ryan McDonagh were very lethal as a pairing this season, but with the team’s distribution of right and left-handed defensemen now even, they do not make sense together.
Carrier checks almost every box needed in this situation, and it could be very beneficial to him at this point in his career.
Additionally, Carrier was on the first all-rookie team in 2021-22 alongside Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider, and came into this year expected by many including myself to take a big step forward. But inconsistent play and a few injuries contributed to what was a slight down year for him, and it does not look like he will return from his current ailment.
While Carrier has not played at the NHL level for very long, he will be 27-years-old when 2023-24 starts and needs to get it together quickly in order to maximize his prime age.
Pairing Carrier with Josi will allow him to play with less weight on his shoulders and subsequently more confidence, as he will need more time to ease into a bigger role with the shaky year he has had.
The only downside here is that Carrier also plays with an offensive element to his game, but he has defensive abilities too and can chip in offensively without being the catalyst. Ryan Ellis was similar in that regard and played alongside Josi for much of his time in Nashville, so Carrier could do it just fine.
Pairing 2: Ryan McDonagh — Tyson Barrie
This pairing is a great fit on so many levels and at least on paper, is a luxury as a second pairing. Maybe more-so than any player grouping on the team, this is one where both guys involved are able to play to each other’s strengths so effectively.
McDonagh is known as a pure stay-at-home defenseman, and putting him alongside Josi was another example of how that is the role in which he clearly belongs.
On the other hand, Barrie will not provide you much defensively, but is strong offensively and has been a great addition as the second offensive facilitator from the blue line.
Barrie is someone who at the time of the trade did not seem like an optimal acquisition considering the Predators’ intentions, but he has played well and become a clear asset. He has earned himself a spot on the team at least until the 2024 trade deadline, as his value should only maximize the longer he stays.
Putting him with McDonagh would allow each to just do their own thing, and once again, it is just perfect for the second pairing. Both players are definite top four caliber defensemen, and when you add how great of a fit they would be together, it only makes them more lethal.
Now, they did play a few games together and got switched, but considering how injured the Predators are and were at the time, you can hardly blame them for trying out multiple looks.
However, when the defense is fully healthy, there is no doubt that McDonagh and Barrie should play together on the second pairing for the Nashville Predators going into next season.
Bottom D-Pairing: Jeremy Lauzon — Dante Fabbro
Lauzon and Fabbro end up as the last two standing for the third pair, and while they are far from studs, they are solid and very much good for this role.
Lauzon started the year a bit rough and was a liability at times, but he has pulled himself back together and is playing more disciplined as of late. He will continue to be on the third pair for at least another year with his contract, which is what he signed up for when pen was put to paper.
Fabbro has been a polarizing topic for the past few years, mostly because his future with the team has been up in the air during that time.
Even when Fabbro seemed to have one foot out the door at the trade deadline, the Predators extended his contract at the eleventh hour, but only for one more year.
Who knows if trade rumors start swirling again in the offseason, but the team would honestly be smart to keep him around for another season. The main reason is because the Predators do not have a rich prospect pool on defense, and keeping Fabbro while the team has signing rights over him would only help.
You will get next to no offense from these guys, but that is obviously not what you would expect from them in this situation. They would be the last line of defense on the Predators, and that is once again a task they are very capable of.